happy holidays!

just a quick note to say happy holidays and especially happy new year as we transition from 2011 to 2012! I'm sooooooo looking forward to the new year and the fresh beginning it brings (although any day could be that fresh beginning if we choose it to be)... I've been thinking a *lot* about changes and just what I'd like to see manifest in my life in 2012:

first and foremost, a job closer to home for dh (not so much a traditional new years resolution as a hope/wish)
secondly, our current house on the market and ideally, sold.
third, a commitment on my part to eating 100% raw.
fourth, another commitment on my part to exercising regularly.
fifth, i'm playing with the idea of either fasting every weekend (fri 9 pm to mon 9 am) or else the first week of each month... one or the other.

there are other ideas floating around; we'll see if they become clearer...

how about you? any plans/goals/promises-to-Self you're considering for the new year?

To Your Health in 2012,
~n~

my magic disappearing act

where have i gone the past few weeks? nowhere. lol. it's the highspeed. night after night, the children go to bed and i say to myself "i'm just going to do a few errands on the computer" and next thing you know it's seriously the middle of the night and i'm AMAZED at how many 'errands' i have been procrasting on. Not to mention, switching from dial-up to high-speed and changing primary email accts has been like moving house. And I have not physically moved house in a VERY long time. it's unbelievable just how many things are linked to my email... things I need to update. And yes, it's also astounding at how many "errands" one can actually complete online. It's not the 80s anymore!! no more dial-up! no more dial-up! (insert happy dance!)

I am definitely being productive, if losing sleep. LOL

The other side of the magic disappearing act I've been performing the last couple of weeks is that the holidays are upon us and I'm LOVING and thoroughly enjoying making many many gifts for loved ones this holiday season. I've been making the most wickedly awesome crocheted stuffies for the nephews... ooh!!!! I can post pictures now that I'm on high-speed! FANTASTIC!!!!! Okay, but not right this second. I'm keeping you in suspense for now... But there's monkeys, English knights, Trojan warriors, Greek Spartans, Nosferatu, Edna the Elephant who does ballet, another couple of elephants in scarves, a kids' poncho... I think there's more... I'm attempting to get some dishcloths done, a couple of pot scrubbies, a stuffed shark, a sweater, a couple of zombies... so I have quite a bit still to do. We'll see. One project at a time. Plus, there have been Christmas cards to stamp, christmas letters to write, and all of that. Only today did the children and I venture into public to make our first attempt at actual holiday shopping. Between all the gifts the kids and I are making (dd has a special surprise for the holidays!), I'm hoping to keep the cost of purchased gifts down a little (the cost of crafting materials notwithstanding).

So if you're wondering about the lack of posts, it's mostly the hours spent crafting the past couple weeks. I'm loving it; it's a wonderful way to pass chilly fall days, crocheting away in front of the warm woodstove, surrounded by happy children. *BLISS*!

Blessings to you and your loved ones this holiday season; wishing you abundance, joy, and good health in the year ahead!

life

Life's been movin' along 'round here. No profound insights to share. The dog needs a bath, the bathtub needs recaulking, one child has a cold, there's a lot of half-done things that I'm trying to get finished (my daughter's little crocheted purse, a certain article (I haven't forgotten!), visiting dd's godmother, calling a couple old friends (not that they're old, we've just known each other a long time, lol)...

On My Bookshelf (with apologies for poor spelling/not exact titles):
Elliot Coleman's Guide to Organic Growing
Thich Naht Hanh's Teachings on Love
a couple of crochet pattern books

You know, *life*. Nothing profound. Just livin' it. And lovin' it. And laughin'... mostly at myself.

All-Candidates' Meeting

Tonight the children and I attended our local all-candidates meeting for the upcoming local elections this weekend. The six candidates for School Board Trustee were in attendance (of which there are three vacancies), as well as the two candidates vying for a spot on our local Land Use Committee, and the two candidates aspiring to become our Regional Director. It was very informative, and to be honest, although I've been voting in elections since I first became eligible when I was 18 years old, this is the first time I have ever attended an all-candidates meeting.

Although we homeschool, that does not in any way mean that I am not concerned about the issues facing the local School District. Our wider community has more families than the provincial average who live in poverty; we have more at-risk students than average. We have a very rural background, despite being relatively close to an urban centre in our province. Our community has doubled its population since we moved here 14 years ago, and it is forecast to grow exponentially over the next decade. Three hundred new students are expected to join the district each year for the next several years, and no new schools will be built within the next 3 years. The issues are never clear cut, never easy to solve. Issues that were brought up - low-income rural families having to pay for bus service to get their children to and from school, and the humiliation of the associated subsidy process, the appropriate use of wireless technology in the classroom, the availability of EAs (educational assistants) in the system to work with identified special needs students, especially those without a diagnosis in the medical system, and more. Certainly the successful candidates will have their hands and heads full as they become aware of the myriad issues.

Clearly, there are many pressing issues facing all the candidates, not just for School Board Trustee, but also the Regional Directorship and the LUC. I think the important thing is to get informed and educated on what's at stake, and then get out there and vote on Saturday.

Stop Smart Meters!

Wednesday night, I may have mentioned, we attended the local Awareness Night movie on the effects of electromagnetic frequencies on the human body. VERY interesting. Did you know that adults who begin cell phone usage in their 20s have an 8x increase in the incidence of brain tumors over those who began cell phone usage in their 30s?!? So what about the dramatic increase in children, in those UNDER 20, who use cell phones?!? Especially what about people who use a cell phone exclusively, those who don't have a landline?!? Have we really studied wireless technology and its effects enough? Are we the guinea pigs?

After the movie there was a discussion amongst attendees about how wireless technology, specifically the incoming Smart Meter program here in British Columbia, could affect people.

I'd like to refer you to an initiative petition online; it's at www.stopsmartmeters.ca and it takes only a moment to preregister for the petition. Please educate yourself and sign.

My biggest concern is that the smart meter program is being ramrodded without adequate public consultation. If it goes to referendum and people vote FOR it, well, then the people have at least spoken. But not getting a choice at all whether this is something I want in my life or not, is undemocratic.

Consider my feathers adequately ruffled.

the incredible expanding grocery bag

I spent 7 hours at tai chi in town today at an instructor's gathering. We discussed commitment - the commitment we, as instructors, have made (to further our own training), and what the nature of that commitment is. It was a very interesting discussion, as I've heard students say that commitment is one reason they hesitate to become instructors themselves. One instructor said that long ago he had heard a story which has stuck with him for many years... I'll paraphrase as best I can...

We tend to think of our lives like a paper grocery bag. We keep putting things into it (commitments, responsibilities, etc.) and at some point, we perceive it to be full. "Can't fit another thing in!" we think to ourselves when people ask us to take on more. But when we practice tai chi (probably yoga or meditation or similar activities, too), it is "bag-expanding" in that the more we practice, the bigger our grocery bag seems to get. And when we decrease the amount of time we spend practising tai chi, the bag appears to get smaller.

It was a very interesting story as it made me aware that our perception of time is just that - a perception. As others have pointed out in the past, we all have the same 24 hours every day in which to do things. It is all a matter of how we choose to use those moments that adds up to a life worth living. (more on that in another post, another day)

On top of the tai chi gathering, we house-sat (and dog and cat-sat) for the neighbours, walking their dog in the morning and again in the evening, and I also did the water job tonight, too. It was a busy day and the kids ended up eating dinner after 8 p.m., which is soooooo different than when I was a kid; we ate promptly at 5 p.m. or 5:30 at the latest nearly every night! I have a few other things I'd like to get done this weekend, so I'm signing off, but wish you well.

Namaste'

Another single day juicing this week

Three Sundays in a row! I've juiced one day a week for 3 weeks now. It is starting to feel gooooooood. Like, here it is, mid-week, and I was actually contemplating juicing today, just because. I *am* planning on juicing again this Sunday, and actually, for *all* the Sundays this month. What I'm finding is that one day a week is very grounding; it reminds me that if I'm not aware of it, that I end up eating more than I need. Kinda creeps up on me but ya, I'll eat a whole pound of rawfoodsooke's tamari almonds if they're in front of me. :P So juicing and actually sitting with the feeling of hunger is a fresh reminder that I don't need to eat every time I think I do. A call to be less impulsive and more aware and mindful in my life.

I had the weekend to myself, which was... very nice and yet very lonely. I got the house somewhat tidied (omg it was a mess) and finished an article, and generally just wrapped my head around things that are going on. I've been quite good about getting things on the to-do list done... little things that aren't urgent (or even required) but were sitting there...

We've just wrapped up another apple order and the raw food bulk order will be soon, too.

High-speed internet is coming to our neighbourhood - *before* the end of the year! So excited at the prospect of high-speed, yet so not excited about cable tv. A friend joked that there will be a profound difference in our neighbourhood - whereas now people walk their dogs, work in the garden, and generally make eye contact and talk to one another, once cable is here he figures we'll all be inside, behind closed curtains and drapes, watching ridiculously stupid programming, and that it will quietly erode the very deep sense of community we have been so blessed to have here. I guess we'll see.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 15 yrs not having cable. I do not miss it. I think television is a massive time waster, in general. I think people find it hard to self-regulate with television viewing. I have been out-voted in the family meeting to have cable in the house, but I will be monitoring VERY CLOSELY my children's viewing habits once it's here. I *don't* want my kids to lose their unique creativity, imagination, and playfulness (and health) to increased screen time.

hallowe'en side show!

last night was the first ever Hallowe'en Side Show at our local community hall. you have to understand that we live in a very rural community of less than 500 people. our aged community hall is central to all events held out here. last night, it was packed, standing room only, for this awesome, incredible event.

the masterminds behind it all did such an AMAZING job putting it on - the hall was spookily decorated and there were stilt walkers, hula hoopers, magicians, a lion tamer, a snake charmer, a fortune teller, fire poi spinning/dancing and a giant pumpk... wait, that was a giant garlic pinata... i chuckled to someone that it ought to have been filled with garlic bulbs, not candy. ;) and the kids' lanterns that they'd made a couple weeks back were hanging throughout the park. it was absolutely THE BEST hands-down community event we've been to in a while.

the costumes people came out in were very creative. i, in case you really wanted to know, went as a devilled egg (the vegan in me was appalled!). maybe i'll post a picture later. *maybe*.

And other newsworthy items: ds passed his next belt test in aikido! sooooo proud of him; he did *great!*

another fasting day

Wow! That week went by REALLY fast! I had a slight earache for a couple days after juicing last weekend and woke up the morning after juicing with a kink in my neck (which thankfully went away with a little tai chi and massage)... with a little self-care the earache went away (hot baths, and hot compresses on it, which felt really nice, and lots of rest, drinking lots of water)... but it was a reminder that I haven't been honouring myself in regards to healthy food and daily exercise in toooooo long.

Today was another juicing day... it was funny but I wasn't hungry hardly at all. I'm hoping I don't get another earache this week, though it's better for the toxins to be out than in. ;)

I enjoyed:
2 mugs of nettle tea with stevia
3c of kombucha
1c of miso dissolved in hot water
5c of apple/carrot/ginger/greens (beet greens & salad greens)
2c of apple/carrot/ginger

hmmm, no water. still, that was more than 3L of liquids today.

I was given 3 fresh salmon (~4 lbs each) which I pressure-canned today. It was a little strange (okay, *very* strange), having been vegan for more than 5 years, I realized that very rarely do I actually have to touch flesh anymore... I hardly ever cook meat nowadays. Still, I was grateful that those in our house that *choose* to eat meat would have some connection to their food. I haven't ever canned salmon, so I was following instructions, and gave a little prayer of thanks for the salmon giving its life for us (well, those of us that eat it). I thought loving thoughts about how wonderful it must've been to live in the water and held its spirit in reverence and respect as I prepared its body into the jars... and definitely I wanted to waste not a single bit of it... the skin and bones went to the cats (who *loved* it! what a treat for them who are normally on dry kibble only!) and a little to the dog. It takes a long time to pressure-can fish, so it took several hours (5?) to get it all done. Now we have 17 jars gracing the pantry shelf. I am very grateful for the friend who passed the salmon on to us; I know the meat eaters in the house will definitely enjoy it.

When I wasn't canning salmon (or making juice) today, I played a couple boardgames with the kids (Stratego, Carcasonne), recaulked the bathtub, and carved jack-o-lanterns (and roasted pumpkin seeds). A couple years ago I dehydrated the pumpkin seeds instead and they were DEEEEEEElicious. Try it!

In Peace,

single day of juice fasting

Sunday we had an at-home day. Even as a 'stay-at-home parent' those days are rare. LOL So the night before, I decided to juice fast for the day. It's been about a year since I've done any juicing in earnest, and I can certainly tell. I feel sluggish, moody, and when I think back to the times I've done longer juice fasts - 30 or 45 days - the difference is incredible. I had a thought a week or so ago that I, personally, need to continually reaffirm my choice and commitment to a healthy, long life. If I'm not constantly working towards and making choices that support that decision, then I'm going backwards. And this year, in particular, feels like I've really stumbled backwards. Ideally, right now I would juice for at least a month, preferably longer, but I find committing to longer fasts is harder when I've got so much going on in my life. I find it much easier to commit to juicing when I'm at home for the entire day, or most of the entire day.

When I recently read Helen Nearing's Loving and Leaving the Good Life, one thing that struck a chord was that her and Scott would fast one day a week all year, and once a year for 2 weeks. Like Terces Engelhart, who juices the first week of each month, this seemed completely manageable.

So for the next few Sundays (which I'm planning on being home all day), I'm planning on juicing.

Yesterday went just fine. Despite the mental struggle of changing from a solid to a liquid diet, the day was relatively easy. I had apple juice, apple/carrot/beet greens, a glass of kombucha, and a couple mugs of nettle tea with stevia. Funny that in the morning I was making juice hourly, but as the day wore on, I went a couple or several hours between juices. Making juices hourly or close-to makes it difficult to leave home (and your beloved juicer) for even shorter periods of time, which is one of my mental blockages towards longer-term juicing right now. However, I did the math that if you fasted one day a week for an entire year, it's still 52 days a year fasting - which is very decent indeed.

This is the funny part, though: I woke up at 4:30 this morning having dreamt of ordering a veggie burger and fries!!! LOL Still, I'm not starrrrrrving right now. It feels really neat to tune into the body as it releases all its build-up in the colon... to get a sense of the body becoming lighter and less bogged down with waste.

Looking forward to next Sunday. :)

2nd post today

other than the post below, things that are on my thought-radar today:

- having to wear my glasses pretty much constantly the past few days. not used to wearing them so much; obviously haven't been wearing them enough which is why my one eye in particular is feeling fatigued. so suck it up and wear 'em.

- the raw food order just went in. HUGE success. thanks to all! another order will go in next month, monday nov 21st @ noon. Check out all the offerings over here.

- another apple order is going in very soon. ambrosias, nicolas, golden delicious, and possibly pears. all organic. great deal.

- timeless spirit mag's latest issue is now online here. check it out. ;)

- the fall leaves are beautiful here, even in the pouring rain. the fall chrystanthemums, the maple leaves, everything, just beautiful. Of course, fall rains bring the mushrooms out, too - lovely chantrelles and morels and more. On the farm, there are numerous chores to be done - weeding, and composting, and planting cover crops. There's beets, (massive!) rutabagas, carrots, leeks, and kale and more to harvest, and in the greenhouses, greens like lettuces, spinach, and more are planted. And the overwintering veggies are growing well - cabbages, purple sprouting broccoli, things like that.

Some quotes that were quoted in David Suzuki's The Legacy (great read, btw):

The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes. - Marcel Proust, writer

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back... The moment one definitely commits, then Providence comes too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred... Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer

There is no escape from our interdependence with nature; we are woven into the closest relationship with the Earth, the sea, the air, the seasons, the animals, and all the fruits of the Earth. What affects one affects all - we are part of a greater whole - the body of the planet. We must respect, preserve, and love its manifold expression if we hope to survive. - Bernard Campbell, anthropologist

Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds, the ebb and flow of tides, the folded bud ready for spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after the night and spring after the winter. - Rachel Carson, biologist, author of Silent Spring

We must convince each generation that they are transient passengers on this planet earth. It does not belong to them. They are not free to doom generations yet unborn. They are not at liberty to erase humanity's past nor dim its future. - Bernard Lown, co-founder, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

club foot treatment

dd was born with a club foot. They don't know what causes club feet; there's a 1 in 800 chance of being born with one. What *I* can tell you is that when I was 8 or 9 wks pregnant with her I had food poisoning brought on by pesticides... I was canning 100 lbs of (non-organic, i.e. sprayed) cherries, and was eating them while I worked... and before I washed them. I got really sick and later I read that this is when the legs/feet develop in the fetus. So for me, there's an obvious connection, one which the medical world will not acknowledge because there's been no research done on that. nonetheless, dd was born with a club foot.

When she was an infant, she had weekly full leg casts, and then wore a dennis-brown splint full-time for 3 months and every night until she was 4 yrs old. At that time, it looked like the foot was corrected and no further treatment was required.

Sometime around 7, we began to notice her running gait was changing. She went through a growth spurt and then it was obvious the foot was relapsing. Back to the specialist. She spent 6 wks this summer in a half-leg cast.

But the foot is relapsing AGAIN. So now it's on to surgery. Basically a tendon transplant. You see, 1 in 800 kids will have a club foot. 3 out of 4 of those will respond to casting (the Ponsetti method) and avoid having surgery. Only 1 in 4 kids will need the surgery. I should buy the kid a lottery ticket, lol. So she'll have casting prior to the surgery, as well as after. There's a bit of a wait list, so we're now just waiting to get a date. And because it's the tendons, the healing time is long - like over a year to 18 mos before she regains full strength and mobility in that foot.

It'll all be fine, but wow, hey. Soooooo blessed to live in Canada with our fantastic medical system and also sooooooo blessed to have a world-renowned specialist in club foot at our local hospital. Absolutely fantastic.

In the meantime, she's hulahooping around the house and jumping on the trampoline, riding her bike, dancing ballet and jazz, hiking, generally you really wouldn't notice anything wrong with her foot at all. And here she comes, in a witch hat and cape, pretending to trick-or-treat, hoping I'll give her a candy. LOL

Mrs. Many-Hats

Trying to stay organized lately has proven challenging, as I try to balance many varied responsibilities daily... I've decided to write them all down, lest I forget one (which will inevitably happen, nonetheless):

• (Homeschooling) Mama to my awesome kids
• Homemaker - keeping the house functioning - making meals, cleaning, caring for animals, yardwork, house maintenance, paying the taxes & bills, and more.
• Organic Farm Labourer - working a couple (half)days a week on a small local organic farm in exchange for knowledge, experience, and produce. sweet deal!
• Tai Chi Instructor - I teach two 90 min classes weekly as well as take a 90 min class for my own health. I also organize and participate in demos around the community and take workshops as they are offered, and teach open practice in the city.
• Water System Operator - testing our local water system and source for various things and ensuring our water system's users have access to top-quality water.
• Egg-seller (when our hens are laying) at the end of our driveway.
• Master Composter - yes, I have a certificate to that effect. I pick-up a couple people's scraps and compost them at our place, for $5/bucket. It's keeping their kitchen waste out of the garbage dump and gives me more compost for the gardens, so a win-win.
• Cleaner at our local community hall - okay, okay, it's officially my son's contract with the community association, but we split the work and split the earnings. It's a commitment of 3 hrs a month, so not huge, but still, another hat I wear.
• Columnist at Timeless Spirit magazine - check out past issues and enjoy this gem of an e-zine.
• Reiki Master/Teacher
• Raw Food orders - I coordinate a monthly bulk raw food order and distribute the order. We also order caselots of fresh organic bc fruit in season (cherries, plums, peaches, apples, pears and more).

Oh, there's probably more responsibilities that I've forgotten. Right now, I have to go put on a few of those hats and try and balance spinning plates on top of them. LMAO Such is life.

Book quotes that have resonated with me lately

I love these quotes from "Loving and Leaving the Good Life" by Helen Nearing, a notation from a card in Scott Nearing's files:

"The majority will always be for caution, hesitation, and the status quo - always against creation and innovation. The innovator - he who leaves the beaten track - must therefore always be a minoritarian - always be an object of opposition, scorn, hatred. It is part of the price he must pay for the ecstasy that accompanies creative thinking and acting." (p17)

On the subject of dying:

"Birth and death are but words that we've invented to express the limit of our knowledge... 'Death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.'" (p175)

On living mindfully:

"Yes, we meditated - not always by sitting down cross-legged, trying to direct our erring thoughts toward higher realms. We might start the day with a recognition of our relationship with the whole, opening ourselves to an acknowledgment of the creative forces in the universe, keeping wide the channels of our being so that benign forces could stream through. We breathed especially deep of life at those times and tried to continue this sense of dedication throughout the day. Was this meditation? For us it was." (p164)

Scott Nearing, on consumerism and materialism:

"It is not what we have but what we do that changes us and helps us grow. Often the things we have get in the way." (p155)


Perhaps my favourite quote from the book (probably because it so clearly articulates the baby-steps to take to live a life in accordance with one's expressed values, something I was contemplating in my last post):

"We offered tips on de-stressing one's life:
1. Do the best you can, whatever arises
2. Be at peace with yourself
3. Find a job you enjoy
4. Live in simple conditions: housing, food, clothing; get rid of clutter
5. Contact nature every day; feel the earth under your feet
6. Take physical exercise through hard work; through gardening or walking
7. Don't worry; live one day at a time
8. Share something every day with someone else; if you live alone, write someone; give something away, help someone else somehow
9. Take time to wonder at life and the world; see some humour in life where you can
10. Observe the one life in all things
11. Be kind to the creatures" (p151)

From Twelve-by-twelve: a one-room cabin off the grid and beyond the american dream (William Powers):

"We humans are nature become conscious of itself." (p51)

This one's for my sister, lol - having grown up in a family where it was all about accomplishment and 'success' - doing, not being - I've added the italics on the final sentence:

"A slightly horrific vision formed in my mind of their farm five years hence: not this perfectly raw, deer-filled, wild space, but a domesticated pastoral idyll with a summer camp feel. The Pauls would show people around and describe the present moment as those terrible days "when there was absolutely nothing here."

I recognized this as a symptom of that contagious, middle-class virus that causes addiction, anxiety, depression, and ennui: affluenza. The richer we get, the poorer we feel. To fill the void, we do. I know the feeling. Like the Pauls, I'm American, not indigenous Guatemalan. I am conditioned to equate my self-worth with being active, productive, useful." (p145)

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone. (Thoreau)" (p146).

"There is no greater gift to the world and to others than being true to your deepest self." (p242)

Balancing the teeter-totter of life

Struggling to find balance between long-term goals and the daily things that need to get done. Because those long-term goals have steps that I ought to be focusing on daily, and yet it seems like there isn't time each day to fit those long-term baby steps into life.

Like, as an example, long-term goal: cultivate mindfulness within the family. Daily baby-step: meditate just 2 minutes with the kids each morning. No biggee, right? Except it just doesn't happen. Even me meditating on my own for 2 mins just doesn't happen regularly. *sigh*

Other dilemma is that I don't have clear, written long-term goals, and I *know* that this is part of the whole problem. *is* the problem. Can't get there if it's not put out there clearly.

And also, how do we get to having those meaningful conversations in life rather than discussing the day-to-day things? Like, really I'd like to talk to you about philosophical matters, or have deep, meaningful conversations with you about things that inspire you and so on, and instead I feel like sharing things that I know won't matter 20 yrs from now.

Things like:
- had a good tai chi intensive/workshop this morning. I hope the 20+ attendees got as much out of it as I did (I wasn't instructing; I was participating).
- the chickens aren't laying at all. Went from laying 7+ eggs per day before our holiday to 0 the past 4 days. The person charged with caring for the cats & chickens while we were away neglected to feed or water them adequately and now they're in shock and not laying at all. Very disappointing. Cats were not fed enough but are outside 'mousers' and did alright although they're a little starved for Love and attention.
- Feels kinda weird to be back home and it's taking several days to settle back into life. Especially odd is having the dog around again after 12 days travelling without the dog. I'm really noticing her presence, whereas before holidays she just fit silently into the family. It's nice, but an odd awareness on my part.

See, these things are all matters occupying my mind at present, but what I really want to talk about is how seeing street kids in Mexico affected my 7 yr old deeply, and the observations my children had about American vs Canadian society while travelling - slight observations about how things are different, or how people behave differently, but important subtle observations, nonetheless. Or how dh & I watched The Help on our holiday and how I heard sniffles and tears throughout the theatre - how deeply that movie affected people. I watched it twice and had the same observation about the audience both times.

I want to talk about the things that *really matter* in life. Problem is, first I need to articulate better exactly what those things are for me. ;)

Hang in there; I can feel the hamster wheel churning in my brain. I'm sure something more intelligent will burst forth soon.

october

i'm here! we just returned from a family holiday, and while it's wonderful to travel and explore new vistas, it's super-awesome to return home, too.

we had a wonderful holiday, but those all-you-can-eat american buffets are BRUTAL when you are falling off the wagon. my relationship with food is seriously dysfunctional now and i'm so glad to be home, surrounded by my raw foods. I need a loooooooong cleanse and more mindfulness and an awareness of the sacredness of ingesting nourishment in a big big way. And exercise. Even with all the walking we did on the holidays it doesn't replace the exercise i get in my daily life at home, between housework, hanging with the kids, farming, gardening, etc.

I read Loving and Leaving the Good Life by Helen Nearing while I was away. *LOVED* it. I haven't read Helen & Scott Nearing's other books but look forward to doing so.

Also read Twelve by Twelve which was, imo, rather philosophical and poetic and not so much about the daily adjustments to living in a space 12'x12' for a period of time. Which I appreciated, actually.

I've not yet read Thoreau but it's definitely on my list.

While on hols, we stopped in at Powell's books in Portland, OR and I can't BELIEVE that place! Portland, overall, was fantastic. It appealed to every member of our family and I could've spent far longer there than I was alloted. lol I also chuckled at just how many of the sustainable living books on their shelves I've read. Yep, that one. And that one. Oh, and that one. Yep, loved that one. It was rather humorous.

So now I'm back and trying to sort through emails and phone messages. It was GRAND signing off from being available for 12 days; now there'll be a slight adjustment to being back on solid ground (after being at sea and then on a train - oh, did I mention i get motion sickness?!?) and back in reality with day-to-day living.

NAMASTE; I honour you and will learn to honour my self, too.

Time Alone

I spent the weekend in solitude. The rest of the family was away from home, and I had the pleasure of being alone at home. I seriously don't even know how long it's been since I've had any amount of time alone at home. A *long* time ago. And wow, did I ever need it.

I sat around.
I cried.
I gardened.
I cried in the garden.
I read books in the sunshine on the deck.
I cried a little in the sunshine, letting the sun dry the salty tears on my face.
I had a bath before sleeping for 10 1/2 hrs.
I cried in the bathtub.
(seeing a theme?!)

Okay, yep, that was me. Having a little meltdown on my own. And you know, it felt so goooooooood to just let it out. Sometimes a good cry is totally therapeutic, even when you're not crying about anything in particular - life's just got you down. You let it out and then you move on. By the time the family came home at the end of the weekend, I was ready to face life head-on again.

The days since have been grand; I feel sooooo much more like 'me'. I think I don't often appreciate just how stressful life can be at times, especially when it's perpetual stressors that just don't seem to go away. We habituate to them and tune them out, but they are still there, affecting our subtle body energies.

and fwiw, i didn't cry *quite* that much on the weekend, but it definitely felt wonderful to live in near-silence for nearly two full days, not having to speak to anyone and only occasionally verbally interacting with the dog or cats. What a treasure that silence was! :)

Blessings to all the parents out there, because it's the most important thing you can do in life to raise your child with your whole heart invested into it. Not easy, but sooooo worth it!

*namaste*

Not Back to School

It's been a busy, interesting week. The kids officially returned to 'school' this week, although as homeschoolers, it's not the drastic change that one might anticipate. For us, there's an easing into the fall routine. Registration in classes they want to attend, a lot of time doing mind-mapping and discussing the upcoming year, a phone call with our beloved Learning Consultant. Days spent jumping on the trampoline and riding bikes, making up games, playing board games, home-cooked meals, playing paper dolls and lip-synching to favourite songs. ;)

There was a lot of tai chi this week - teaching two classes, attending an open house where I taught the try-it class, going to an afternoon intensive/workshop, and organizing and participating in a couple demos as well. Phew! That *was* a lot of tai chi. But you know, it's so relaxing and it feels good to put that energy and commitment into my health, both physical and mental. As an instructor, it can be challenging; sometimes I feel like I open a can of worms with discussions, but I'm very grateful for the support of the other instructors and the tai chi society - everyone is there to support me as I instruct, and I am truly grateful for that. I get so much out of my tai chi practice, and I can see that I have a *long* way to go on the journey. I am honoured to be able to support other students on their journey as I travel my own.

At the farm, there's harvest-time is here! Not to mention beds to be prepped for winter. I've done some pressure canning lately - green beans and baby beets and other things. I'd love to do a little more; it's very gratifying to look in the pantry and see all the beautiful mason jars all lined up. Right now the grocery store has 10 lb cases of peaches for $9.99; I'd love to get 50 or even 100 lbs and can them all.

Lots of discussion in the family this week around finances and the household budget and such. Changes are afoot; I'm trying to wrap my head around it all as we figure it out together. I got my first job when I was 10 delivering newspapers and even after all these years, I expect I would have a better grip on money, and (confession) I don't. In theory, it's all so simple: income must be greater than expenses. But in reality, running a household isn't that simple, especially when unexpected (or expected but unaccounted-for-in-the-budget) expenses come up. Things like an unplanned vet bill or, for that matter, the sale on peaches... ideally, there's money set aside for things that come up. I hope my children learn to create and live within a balanced budget before they're adults; I know it's not something I was ever explicitly taught, and that's probably the case for many of us.

Today I was offered a regular job in our community - it's only half an hour a day, but it has to be done at the same time every day. It's within walking distance of our home, and I think half an hour a day is quite manageable. Between that, and helping ds with cleaning the community hall, and selling eggs at the end of the driveway, we're creating quite a little sustainable economy in our community for ourselves. I've got to get my raw food order going soon, too; I missed putting one in in August and September might not happen either. I think dh's right that many people are interested in raw food and trying it out, or at least incorporating more raw foods into their general diets.

Ideally, I'd like to live debt-free. To have no mortgage, to own land outright. To build a well-planned smaller home ourselves on it. Off-grid. No cable tv, no wi-fi, but yes, high-speed internet and a phone line. ;) I envision days spent in the abundant garden, growing the majority of our own food, communing with nature. Time spent in the kitchen putting away the harvest for winter. Time spent in leisure on the deck or patio or terrace overlooking the pond and garden. Time spent as family, as community.

My overall goal is not to roll around naked in a pile of $100 bills. I do not share the commonly assumed vision of success, the whole American dream of unrestrained material consumerism. I want to enjoy life. To have time to build loving relationships with family, with others in the community. To live a healthy, balanced life. Time spent doing tai chi, swimming, cycling, hiking, and generally a more active lifestyle than I currently lead. This would also predicate less time spent driving and more time spent at home. I don't want to live in forced poverty, but I also don't think that we need to work insane hours to consume more than is necessary. Despite what the advertisers may say, money cannot buy you happiness (but I do admit there is a certain amount where it makes one comfortable, where it meets our basic needs).

I would say that I would rather spend a little more money on an item of good quality rather than buy a cheaper one that will wear out sooner and ultimately create more waste. Like our organic cotton flannel sheets from Germany. Yes, expensive. Yes, imported and the associated transportation carbon footprint. But imo, they'll last a lot longer than the no-name brand sheets at the discount superstore. Or the investment in my VitaMix blender, over a cheaper (lower quality) blender. Things like that.

I don't know where I'm going with this; I just know that there are things happening in my life right now - big changes - that are somewhat overwhelming. I'm especially grateful to have the weekend to myself to contemplate life, to just spend time reading, lying in the September sunshine, time just to be. *Namaste*

On my bookshelf right now:
Less is More - Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska
The Findhorn Garden Story
One-Income Household: how to do a lot with a little - Susan Reynolds & Lauren Bakken
Simple Prosperity: finding real wealth in a sustainable lifestyle - David Wann
The Simple Feeling of Being: embracing your true nature - Ken Wilber
A different kind of luxury: japanese lessons in simple living and inner abundance - Andy Couturier
Ecovillages - Jan Martin Bang

Labour Day

Today was pretty much an at-home day, which was *FAN*tastic. Not very often the calendar is empty for an entire day.

I am getting the hang of pressure-canning, now having done two batches of baby beets, one batch of whole tomatoes (which ended up looking rather stewed) and two batches of green beans. I'm going to work on the farm tomorrow and am hoping to come home with more produce to 'put up'. I'm inspired by the kitchen cupboards here; they have a great picture of their cupboards with all the canned food inside that i can't find right now on dial-up. :P

There's been a huge shift going on in my perspective lately; I can feel it. I'm noticing that I'm needing to learn some new skills surrounding managing money and finances and also a need to let go and declutter a LOT around here. (must be reading about Voluntary Simplicity that's got me itching to make changes; that, and my pack-rat neighbour is doing some decluttering, and (well, not to be competitive with him or anything, lol, but) i just know that decluttering will open new spaces and opportunities up in our lives... much needed fresh energy.

Speaking of energy, there's the whole Smart Meter program being hurried into implementation in our province. It's really got my hackles up; from the way it's being done, the privacy concerns about the information they will be collecting about my family's energy usage, the mercury switch in the meter (equivalent to 500 CFL lightbulbs in each meter is what I read), having no reasonable opt-out options, the bringing in of wireless technology in a neighbourhood where there currently is none (including no cell phone coverage and dial-up as the main internet option), and where there is no community discussion on whether we *want* this technology forced down our throats... on and on, questions about why Hydro would spend twice the amount of money they expect to save (how is that fiscally responsible of a public utility?), questions about the safety of these smart meters, about appliances going haywire after the installation. I want to know why, when EMFs are classified by the World Health Organization as a Class 2B possible carcinogen in May of this year, why then are Smart Meters being allowed at all. Questions, questions, questions. Yes, I have concerns and I'm not alone. I have enough concerns that I've sent a letter of no-consent to BC Hydro and I support communities around the province who are asking for a moratorium on the installation of these things. I was shocked to learn that neighbours have *already had theirs installed*, several weeks ago. I hear of other neighbourhoods in the greater urban area who are going through installation as well. It's bullocks. Makes me want to go off-grid, big-time.

There's a yahoo group called Parents for Choice which is lobbying against the smart meters. I encourage all parents in BC to join. I hate to say it, but Friday night, when I was at a neighbourhood gathering with 7 other neighbours, and the Smart Meter topic came up for discussion, I was made to feel like a freak for having any concerns at all about them. My concern about EMFs was dismissed flippantly and the subject was quickly changed. It's not JUST the EMFs (although imo that's enough to warrant exercising due consideration before their implementation), it's all the other things I also mentioned above. And more.

Eating Local: we are making such GREAT strides in eating local this year. Working at the farm is making a huge difference as I come home with the excess produce (like 9 lb zucchinis/courgettes, lol). Today the kids had vegetable soup for lunch that was almost entirely local produce in it and dinner was rice and lentils with vegetables and coleslaw (all the veggies were local, and the rice & lentils came from the food co-op in bulk 25 lb quantities, so I felt really good about these meals). The kids continue to eat healthy, whole-food, vegetarian meals, and we're trying to source as much of our food locally as we can.

Generally, I'm spending time lately thinking about where I want to be 5 yrs from now, and realizing that if I don't take action steps now, I won't ever get to that place/goal. So if it starts with decluttering and snowballs from there, awesome. (Goal for September: get that field plowed and plant a cover crop!)

I am woman; hear me roar!

CRACK that whip!

omGOODNESS it's been a busy (and emotional) week... funny how things kinda converge all at once sometimes...

I made ketchup this week. The recipe called for 24 lbs of fresh tomatoes. And the first thing you had to do was peel EVERY one of those tomatoes! wow, that only took 2 hrs! Then a few steps later the instruction read: boil gently, stirring often, until mixture is reduced by half. hmmmm, how long could THAT possibly take... *26 hours* later, the mixture was reduced by half. had the recipe stated that i would have to stir often for 26 hrs i'd probably have rethought the whole thing. but when you've already invested 2 hrs peeling tomatoes (not to mention time growing and harvesting them) and another hr letting it simmer, what's another 26 hrs?!? In the end, the recipe yielded 16 half-pint (250ml) jars = 4L, or basically about 6-8 months of ketchup for our family. note to self - NEXT TIME: USE ROMA TOMATOES. lmao

Other than making the house smell like ketchup, it's just generally been busy. I have had to sit down and look squarely at our schedule, especially with 'school' starting up next week. What are my priorities? Where do I want to be 1 yr from now? What do I need to focus on?

Today, for example, I played hookey from farming to instead clean the house a bit while dh and ds volunteered for the community association. Then we had to drive dh to catch the boat to work, a handful of errands, clean the community hall (ds's job but many hands make light work so we all pitch in), a quick dinner, off to register dd for a class and then tai chi class in the evening. And a whole lotta little things I'm trying to remember ("email so and so", "call so and so", remember this and that). The days are one after another busy right now.

Yep, there are some major changes afoot around here and I'm having to rethink our schedules a bit, trying to pare back but still maintain connections to supportive friends. It's hard because I *love* farming and *love* tai chi but can see that I have to really balance those passions with other priorities in my life, especially being that I'm volunteering with my passions.

I'd write more but it's rather late and I've had too many late nights lately.
hope you understand...

Namaste'

abundance!

I worked at the farm today for a few hours... and came home with a LOT of produce! 34.5 lbs, to be exact. (isn't that insane?!?)

dd and I harvested summer squash today for an hour - FOUR wheelbarrows FULL. I took a picture on my cell phone but will have to email it to myself to upload it here. It was crazy - must've been about 200 lbs of squash, quite easily. We took two home - one was 8.88 lbs! The other was 5.4 lbs. They were MASSIVE!

This is definitely the time of year when the garden is going full-tilt and you can't even give away zucchini. The farmer said the local food bank won't accept fresh produce from farmers because they find the people coming to the food bank don't know what to do with 8 lb zucchinis, and packaged food is easier to prepare. Sad statement on our society, imo.

Alas, I digress. I wanted to share with you the abundant variety of produce that is ripe these days:

several lbs of tomatoes - will Can them tomorrow, might make salsa as well
kubota winter squash - is curing
a pint of strawberries - eaten practically before we got home
a couple lbs of shelling peas - shelled, blanched, and frozen
broad and green beans - trimmed, blanched and frozen
carrots - cut up, blanched and frozen
broccoli - cut up, blanched and frozen
leeks and potatoes - will be combined into soup
oh, and the zucchini. (how could i forget!) - will shred some and freeze, make zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini for dinner one night, and will probably *still* have some more with which I will have to dig out more recipes for. Last year I compiled 15 different zucchini recipes. I'll probably end up using all 15 recipes on these two massive squash.

The feeling of satisfaction is grand when one is putting up food for winter. The freezer is slowly starting to fill up with produce. I'm trying to locate more wide-mouth canning jars for free that I can do some canning with. Pickled beets, pickled green beans, and canned vegetables and the salsa, too. Lots to can.

Anyhow today was all about food - harvesting and putting up. It felt sooooooo good to know I'd gotten all that food in exchange for my labour and time, because i have an abundance of both to give. :)

Abundance of blessings around here.

beach day

Spent yesterday afternoon at the beach with the kids and some friends. We frolicked in the waves and the kids attempted to build a driftwood beach fort, 'though only half-heartedly (usually they go at it with much more gusto). I got a slight sunburn on my knees of all places. I should've taken pics of the beach b/c it was GLORIOUS. We saw a seal swimming around and at the far end of the beach, a mass of seagulls resting on the fossil-imbued rocks. Spatterings of people down the beach, all playing in the waves (this beach is never crowded). Beautiful day.

The kids had black bean burritos we made for lunch (one of their faves) and lentil, zucchini and tomato casserole for dinner (with br rice & broccoli). I am filled with gratitude that nearly all our produce these days is coming from less than 10 kms from our house, from the fields of the local organic farm. Very blessed, we are.

Having trouble sleeping lately, but not worrying too much about it; feeling solid that it will pass in time.

no profound thoughts at this hour.

local family fair day

it was our local community annual celebration today. being a (very) small, rural community of less than 500, it ends up being a core group of us very committed volunteers who put the whole thing together. after several meetings and lots of planning it comes down to the actual day.

dh was up at the hall by 6:30 this morning starting to get set-up. it is now 11:30 and he is entertaining friends who have come back to our place & it looks like they'll be staying the night.

no worries; i'm off to the farm in the morning. just kinda funny how bachelors live, imo.

anyways suuuuuuuuuuuuuper tired and my eyes are starting to close involuntarily.
adios!

Tai Chi

I'm back from a week-long tai chi workshop back East. It was the first time I'd gone for a week-long workshop, having only done weekend workshops until now, and it was the first time my daughter and I had been away from each other for more than two nights as well. It was also the first time I'd been on an airplane since 2008, and while I don't have anxiety about flying, the carbon footprint of flying *does* concern me, which is why I don't travel much by plane.

The workshop was fantastic and opened my mind in many ways. There were 650 participants from more than 20 countries. You'd sit down for lunch with people from different countries and speaking different languages and that experience made me realize how sheltered a life I lead, lol!

I spent the week camping; they'd sent up a tent city for all of us who'd brought tents. Having to pack everything you'll need for a week (tent incl) into one piece of luggage is... freeing. That, and I read more voluntary simplicity books during the week (my dh often teases me about how reading puts new ideas into my head!)... and I came home wanting to declutter even more... sell off a bunch of things that just take up space. I'm ready to let go of them. It's interesting when you get to the point of being ready to let things go.

Of course, coming back home meant facing all the things left undone before I left... actually, it wasn't completely overwhelming. But like my last post, I'd managed to forget about the financial worries for an entire week (which was really nice) but came home to a bit of stress there, and a few other things.

Overall though, I'm so glad I was able to go to the workshop and learned so much. I'm so grateful for that experience but also happy to be back home now.

Your Money or Your Life

Have you read that book, Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez & Vicki Robin? If you haven't, check out a copy at your local library. It will CHANGE the way you view money. Completely. I've tried reading it in the past but the clarity I was gaining was too much for my little ego and i just couldn't finish it; it was a little overwhelming... plus, it was very popular at the library and I had to return it before I was done reading. :P I have it back and I'm coming across the same themes of financial intelligence in many books, including Depletion and Abundance (which no, I haven't finished reading yet - it's another book which is shaking up the foundations of my thoughts).

Basically I'm feeling like my relationship with money is out of control. I buy things I do not need, 'though not nearly as much as others I know, but still, I realize money slips through my fingers a little too easily. I would like to get to a point where we're not living paycheque to paycheque, where there's money saved (*gasp!* what *is* she talking about?!?) and I feel like I'm in control. Ideally, I'd like to have no mortgage (i.e. it being paid off, not us not having any shelter, lmao) and I'd also like to see us cut back on our energy consumption by at *least* 25% over the next couple years, if not more. I'd also like to see all our consumer debt paid off and (perhaps more importantly) not accrue any more. I'd like to have money to give to charity. I'd like to be able to grow the majority of our own food and also eat more simply (and not eat out so often), thereby reducing our food costs considerably. I'd like to (i can't believe i'm even saying this)... trade the car in for something without a car payment. (I have a 2010 vehicle and while I do really enjoy the heated seats and AWD - *especially* the AWD in winter, I am having an increasingly hard time justifying the gas consumption and car payments. dh drives a 1991 car with 250K kms on it and it's not 100% reliable, but i don't mind driving it in the daytime in the summer (don't want to get stranded in the evenings, or in the winter at any time of day) Yes, we're a 2-car family. Could we get by with only one vehicle? (or none?!) Well, maybe once we move and we're only 2 kms from a transit stop and a good biking route. Here we're 17 kms from the nearest bus stop, and I'm not about to have my kids biking on the main road out here.

At the moment, I feel like I'm up a creek without a paddle, so to speak, financially. Behind the eight ball. Whatever metaphor you want to use, it's how I'm feeling right now. I hate to even verbalize (or print) these thoughts about how it is for me right now, because I don't want to see it, or let anyone else see it, or put it out there in the universe. But it is the truth. I'm feeling the crunch. Saying "this too shall pass" isn't going to cut it this time. Changes must be made. We *must* learn some financial intelligence or it will be the unravelling of this house of cards.

I know I'm not alone, either. Many people in North America are feeling the crunch, too. Our society encourages us to buy now, pay later and live on credit. It's not sustainable. I can *see* that and yet, making changes in how we live our lives is going to take courage, especially when it goes against the grain of how society is telling us how to live.

Who's with me?

a day off

Today was a no-car day around here. I know urbanites have those regularly, but out here, living rurally, it is more of a challenge to create those. Literally, it's been nearly an entire month since we've had a no-car day, and this is likely the only one for another 3+ weeks. Yes, you read that right. Literally, about one no-car day every 3-4 *weeks*. One in 20 days I do not get in the car.

I realize, in our peak oil and climate chaos times, how ridiculous this reads, and how, post-peak-oil, I will look back and realize how utterly unsustainable this lifestyle is.

Something has to change.

I spent a good deal thinking about it today, while reading Depletion and Abundance out on the deck in the beautiful sunshine, 'neath the cloudless blue sky, with the rustling of the alder leaves and the waves crashing ashore the background sounds... I realized how things will simply have to change.

Less structured classes for the children and myself.
Growing more of our own food.
A restructuring of how we use energy in our lives...

I have more thoughts floating around about it all, but for now, the children want to read E is for Environment, a kids' book where the illustrations have these huge heads on little bodies and my children think that's hilarious. Not to mention the increasing awareness of environmental issues. I guess that's just a pleasant aside. ;)

meh.

Hi. How's life? I'm good. I suppose things are actually really great. I'm just not feeling really super full of life and joyous at the moment. Oh, it's nothing, really. Nothing more than everyday worries, nothing that is worth worrying about. (or is it?)

I stayed up way too late this week reading our book club book (even though book club's not for a few weeks, lol). It was called The Help. I can't remember the author. It was an amazing read. 500+ pages and I read it in one night.

I taught 3 tai chi classes last week (well, 4 in the past 8 days). But I missed my own class. It can be hard to balance - life, I mean. I only went to the farm one day this week (again; that's two weeks in a row I've only been once). I *like* to go twice a week, but I'm finding that my days are pretty full. And both tai chi and the farm are volunteer, and I have other responsibilities I'm trying to make time for as well.

I weeded the herb garden out this morning, most of it, anyway. Cut the comfrey way back, the lemon balm, the lovage, the oregano. Planted the lemon verbena, rosemary, catnip, tarragon, and (Miranda) hydrangea I'd picked up a little while ago. Watered everything. The other garden needs some lovin', too.

Oh, the bear was trapped and relocated from this area. I'm not sure if they actually did relocate the bear or if they killed it. I really don't know. One night (not sure if I mentioned this) it actually was scratching at the side of my neighbour's mobile home (a big tin can, someone called it). It's much quieter in the neighbourhood without the bear's daily escapades.

It's about 19 degrees outside (68 F); was 23 in town (76 F). It's slightly windy at our place, and being on the open ocean, it's a cool breeze as always, making it feel slightly cooler than what the thermometer says. Only during a real heat wave does it truly feel hot at our house, otherwise it's just comfortably breezy.

I'm having a really difficult time making healthy lifestyle choices these days - especially in regards to food and exercise. I feel like I'm sabotaging myself, and it's dreadful. I don't like it, and yet repeatedly I find myself making poor choices. I look at pictures from 2 summers ago and I get a pang of regret at what's happened since. I know I feel better with daily exercise and when eating more mindfully. *sigh* I'm feeling particularly crummy in this moment because of a poor food choice I made this afternoon. I'm hoping I won't be forced to repeat this lesson time and time again. :(

I'm reading Depletion and Abundance: life on the new home front (or, one woman's solutions to finding abundance for your family while coming to terms with peak oil, climate change, and hard times.) by Sharon Astyk. It's really interesting. She talks about the last century, how gender roles have changed, how we devalue domestic work, and about options for the future. Really, really interesting.

Generally, though, and you may have already picked up on this, I'm feeling pretty meh. Just in a bit of a funk. Not taking care of myself properly and I'm feeling it. I'm aware that's what's going on and I'm wishing I would snap out of it and just start caring again. I feel like my life is not in the best state of balance right now... struggling a little to balance the housework, yardwork, gardening, child-raising, family time, volunteering with tai chi and the farm, financially, oh, just everything. It's all feeling rather precarious sometimes. A little off-kilter.

Ask me next week. I'm sure this'll blow over. ;D

Oops. I just deleted what I'd written already.

Anyways, my eyesight's been doing weird things this week, with one eye having this 'ghosting' thing going on - where a word is superimposed one character to the left. So it's kinda like double vision but not two separate images appear, they're superimposed. It was really bad yesterday in that one eye; uncomfortable to drive. Today I went to the opthamologist who said my eye's been spasming and it's nothing serious. THANK GOODNESS.

No news with the bear. Not captured, but we do have a live trap sitting 50 ft from our front door, which is more than slightly unnerving. I don't want to have the kids play on the trampoline or in the yard generally until this whole thing is resolved. Our neighbour's chicken coop was completely destroyed and all but one chicken killed. It was back at our coop yesterday morning but hasn't had any success getting in... two things: one, I sprayed some WD40 around the outside of their enclosure (no, not env friendly but it was cheaper than a $300 electric fence) and two, I've had the radio on inside their coop 24/7 playing NPR, and who knew bears didn't like NPR?!

Nothing else newsworthy around here. Raspberries are in full force these days. YAY! And I think the sun is here for a few days! Double YAY!

Bear!

Yesterday was a busy day. I got lots of chores and stuff done and worked at the farm for 4 hrs. I had the afternoon to myself at home and weedeated the yard and watered all the gardens and plants...

Then at 9 p.m. the chickens, who had all been going into their coop nicely, all were fluttering around the pen. hmmmm... something was obviously nearby. So I go out the back door in my pjs and pair of sandals and take five steps towards their pen when I see what appears to be a very large black Shepherd dog IN their pen! EEKS! It took a complete, very slow second for me to realize that was no dog! That was a massive BEAR! OMG! I yelled "BEAR" very loudly (our neighbour was in her yard, heard me and promptly went to put her horse in for the night) and ran to get our "trumpet" (one of those things you take to football games to blow through and make noise?!). I blew it loudly twice at the bear (who was still in the pen) and it finally ran off into the acre of forest (between me & the neighbour with the horse).

At 7 a.m. this morning, the chickens, who were all locked snugly into their coop, had a commotion going. I ran to the upstairs window and realized the bear must be back so the dog and I ran out the back door and the dog ran after the bear. I went to the coop to inspect and it's ripped a hole in the side of the coop. Quick headcount and yes, one of our White Leghorns are gone.

I called the Conservation Office and spoke to a CO and he is going to bring a live bear trap out tomorrow probably. In the meantime, I have some repairs to do.

p.s. not that it's related at all, but it's interesting (and kinda funny) nonetheless: two nights ago I dreamt that there were tall trees on 236 st falling down, the ones between Glen Bahr's place & Colleen Kennedy's, on that side of the street, and people who had been picking blackberries under them came running out (it was a secret blackberry patch and I thought to myself, wow, now I don't need GPS coordinates, now I know where all the berries are!). It was bizarre. Anyways yesterday I was walking the neighbour's dog through the forest around here and was looking at the tall tall trees, and suddenly had a flashback to the dream with the huge trees snapping and falling. Bizarre. Oh, and the trees in my dream did NOT make any sound when they fell. ;)

Last night I dreamt that my legs were very hairy and I'd shaved my calves, but then looking down at them in my dream, I'd done a really patchy job at best. It was just funny. Don't read into that one. :P

The introvert gets social

I had such a busy weekend, socially speaking. Saturday morning I went to the tai chi bbq at the beach. 30ish people were there, doing tai chi in the wet sand, in the misty fog. It was BEEEEEEAUTIFUL. Some beautiful pictures were taken. We were there probably 4 hrs.

Then we went to friends' birthday parties (a joint party for a 2 yr old & a 3 yr old) and had a great time. There were several families we knew there and the company was great and everything, but I started to feel really... kinda well, overwhelmed by my introverted self being out in community like that all day. I was feeling the need to just be alone, be at home. Not in a bad way, just in a... wow, this is so unlike me way.

Sunday I went to another hs'ing family's place - they've just moved here from the mainland and bought (get this) 130 acres! They were having a work party as they're building an addition (a home office) onto the back of their garage. It's clay slip infill and basically you coat the wood chips completely with liquid clay slip and then tamp it into a wall form. It's a natural building technique. I was loving it. 10 adults and I knew none; I was having to introduce myself and be social but at the same time just loving and so passionate about what we were doing! Still, after an hour and a half, my cuticules and nails were TRASHED from the wood chips and clay mix. They were actually BLEEDING. yikes!

After lunch there I cleaned up and headed to a tai chi demo at the local park where the local orchestra was having a free outdoor concert. So while people arrived we did tai chi to some canned orchestra music playing over the speakers at this absolutely gorgeous park that overlooks the water. And it was a beautiful experience. I'm so glad we got to do that.

So I had a busy weekend, socially. Today I spent 4 hrs at the farm (my fingertips are so sore from yesterday and then weeding and transplanting today!). I have the luxury of an afternoon alone.

That being said, there is much I should be doing: cleaning up the house (mostly picking up toys), walking the neighbour's dog who we're looking after for a couple days, finishing a certain magazine article that's embarassingly past its deadline, gardening and yardwork, getting this month's raw food order together. Lots to do and the sun is now shining so I'd better get on with it.

One thing one of the natural builder guys said yesterday at lunch is that you'll only ever be as (fill in the blank: successful (however you define that), happy, healthy, whatever) as the 5 people you spend most of your time with. That's a powerful thought. Think for a moment about the 5 closest people you spend your time with. Are they heading places in life that you want to be headed? Because it's totally true. You're creating, through your association with these people, your own life. And if they're not living a life you'd want to live, you need to make some changes for yourself.

NAMASTE'

On my bookshelf

I like hearing about books others are finding interesting, so maybe you, like me, would like to know what I'm reading these days:

• Ecovillages (Jan Martin Bang)
• Living Simply with Children (Marie Sherlock)
• The Simple Feeling of Being (Ken Wilber)
• Less is More (Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska)
• Mom, will this chicken give me man boobs? (Robyn Harding) - how can you *not* pick up a book with a title like that?!? lmao
• Depletion and Abundance (Sharon Astyk)
• A different kind of Luxury: Japanese lessons in simple living and inner abundance (Andy Couterier)
• Let me know when you see a theme here... ;)
• Your Money or your life (Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez)
• E is for Environment: stories to help children care for their world - at home, at school, and at play (Ian James Corlett) - juvenile non fiction that I'm reading aloud with the kids
• Building a Green Community (Ellen Rodger) - also a juvie NF that we're reading together
  
  I think I talked recently about Radical Homemaking: reclaiming domesticity from a consumer culture, which I also recently read. *LOVED* it!!!
  

july

july has been pretty warm and sunny...

i tilled the garden at my in-laws and planted beets and a few things in there and took a tractor lesson (the field's not yet plowed however)... hoping to plant a cover crop in the field very soon...

my garden's doing well... both the herb garden and the vegetable garden and raspberries are now on drip irrigation which is making an INCREDIBLE difference to the plants. the lovage is HUGE! and everything is just doing really really well. i planted about 10 strawberry plants in the birdbath (no birds ever used it)...

AND very excitingly, the goji berry plant is flowering!!! most exciting. i'm cautiously optimistic that i might get berries off it.

the raspberries are now ripe (though small) and the blueberries will be another few weeks, i'd guess. salmonberries are ripe in the yard and the huckleberry bush behind the chickens is ripe, but the other huckleberries in the yard aren't quite there yet.

the chickens are all doing well... i think we're going through a mite infestation with them so i sprayed their perches down with neem oil (a miticide) and will treat further if required... they aren't laying so great the past few months - out of 20 hens we're getting an average of between 8 and 12 eggs a day, compared to the 16 or 17 we were getting in early spring.

the farm's great - everything's so productive there! the strawberries are totally in season and it's AWESOME to get to pick 4,000 strawberry plants! carrots, broccoli (sooooooo good) and cabbage, summer squash (pattipan & black ball, among others) and zucchini, lettuces and more... *loving it!*

i'm very behind on housework and all things indoors (including an article i haven't forgotten about). i've got a wonderful farmer's tan going on and am loving spending time outdoors. i'm searching for a supply of blasted rock with which to build the base for the final cob & then plaster on the cob oven. I'm really hoping to get that finished and build a living roof over it before monsoon season hits in october.

that's about it... oh, and check out this and sign the petition if you feel moved to:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_quarry/?vc

"by donation"

So I organized a homeschooler field trip (4th this month) for yesterday. The place we were going to has a "$15 suggested donation" per person, but did say that they didn't want (lack of) money to deter families from coming, so if they could just please give what they felt was reasonable.

I'm trying to release judgment on this issue, but it's weighing heavily on me this morning because one family of 4 showed up and gave nothing and another family of 4 came and gave $2. I have less harsh judgments towards the second family as at least they did give *something*. But if all the families who'd come only gave $2 each, the tour organization would only have received $20 *total*, not the $550 they would've got if each person had donated the suggested $15. HUGE difference.

The tour was over 2 hrs long and the person giving the tour gave us so much of her energy and was so skilled at accomodating over 35 people of a variety of ages, and children who were all over the place and interrupting and not listening and so on.

There's nothing I can do about it after the fact and I should just stop giving my energy to thinking about it but it does bother me. To give nothing at all in exchange for 2 hrs of someone's time?!? I think what bothers me most is that I feel like as the liaison, as the person organizing the tour, i feel like it reflects poorly on *me* (which i guess i shouldn't take that on) that people would be so bold as to come and not offer anything in exchange.

breeeeeathing deep and trying to just let it go.

PrOduCtiVe!!

The days have been flying by in a flurry of productivity. It's been great, even though there's very little time spent on the computer. It's been mostly sunny the last week which has been wonderful - highs in the low to mid 20s (celsius) which just feels so summery around here. And then there was Solstice, of course, which was also wonderful!

I'm not sure why the ravens came to visit. They haven't come bothering the chickens again much; I guess they realized the chickens weren't going to be an easy lunch with all that wire to get through. :P At any rate, the chickens are all doing fine, too, although they aren't laying as many eggs (about 9 or 10 a day instead of the usual 14 or 15). Maybe a little too hot for them lately.

Tai chi is going great; the classes are going really well and I've had some very positive feedback, which has been much-appreciated. I attended a National workshop on the weekend and learned a lot and have noticed things opening up and just changing and more of a stillness and quietness developing when practising. I couldn't be happier as that is truly what I'm striving for...

Farming is going awesome. I am soooooo happy to be helping out - today I weeded a couple rows and then picked rocks out of a freshly plowed patch and then hand pulled weeds from beneath some peas... It was great! The other afternoon there were 4 women, all in our 30s or 40s, working in the lovely sunshine, with children playing (baby being carried, and toddlers eating strawberries or playing on the various play structures dotting the edge of the field)... it filled my feminine energy cup to overflowing. I was beaming with happiness at the positive energy we were creating and was just *so* in my happy place! I love love LOVE going to the farm. I feel like I make a tangible contribution and it is lovely to do physical labour and share in that with other people... Today I came home with some deeeeeeelicious organic strawberries and some transplants for my garden: two cherry tomato plants, a zucchini, a long english cucumber, a broccoli, a couple kale plants, and some dill, cilantro and parsley... So I spent the afternoon playing on my own garden transplanting all these lovely plants, which was equally fun.

My daughter is now sporting a bright pink half-leg cast, as of yesterday. She's doing SUPER awesome with it on - even went scootering yesterday, jumped on the trampoline today and has been running and dancing in it as well as climbing the stairs and just generally getting around just fine with it. AND she's the kind of kid who doesn't complain much about anything so even though it sometimes gets itchy, she doesn't get grumpy about it. She'll have this one for a couple weeks, then they'll re-cast (in purple, she's decided), and then once more after that (when she'll choose a red cast). Funny how she's got it all planned out.

I read two awesome books lately: The $64 Tomato by William Alexander. *LOVED* it. it was on display in the library; I'd never heard of it before and it caught my eye. It was a great book, easy to read and hilarious.

The other book was Radical Homemaking: reclaiming domesticity from a consumer culture (Shannon Hayes). *LOVED* *LOVED* *LOVED* it. Sooooooo exactly what I wanted to read. Intelligent. Well-written. Thought-provoking. Made me re-examine my life - am I truly living a life in accordance with the values I hold dear? Which is very important to me... it's the basis of my life, really. It also made me want to re-think some things in my life.... But one thing I've been thinking a lot about is the concept of a household being either a unit of consumption or a unit of production.

Today we were a unit of production... farming and bartering for some awesome plants which will feed us... and then cleaning the community hall, generating income and also giving back to the community at the same time... and going to tai chi class and furthering my own development and also learning so i can give back to my own class tomorrow... AND I didn't make any purchases today at all. FANTASTIC day in my books.

Chicken-talk

Do you think that animals that cross your path have a message for you? What about animals that are common - like a robin or a hummingbird, or, in our case lately, a flock (or is that a murder?) of ravens?

We've had four ravens - I'm presuming their teenagers who are now out on their own - who keep taunting our chickens that they're going to eat them for dinner?! One of the ravens went so far as to land on the wire covering the chickens pen, cock its head to one side and stare at them.

I kinda wanted to have truly free-range chickens, opening their coop door in the morning and letting them have an entire acre to forage around on all day, hoping that they would (a) only lay eggs in the nestbox of the coop and not all around the yard and (b) that they would be *safe* from predators while unfenced all day.

But after hand-raising 21 chicks from day-olds, we'd put too much energy and time and LOVE into their hand-rearing to let them just fend for themselves on our acre. After all, we live in fairly wild lands: there are racoons around during the day, cougars, black bears, and ravens... not to mention neighbourhood dogs and so on.

So our chickens have a lovely coop, complete with three pens which I rotate them through - I grow an organic wheat/barley grass in two pens while they decimate the third of the luscious greens, then rotate them into the next while I reseed the first. It's a compromise. I'm always considering adding on more pens that I can rotate them through. And two of the the three pens have overhead fencing as well as fencing that's buried a foot down to stop predators from digging under.

The weak point (and I needn't fear that the racoons will read this, because they've already figured it out) is the gate. You can't bury the gate wire a foot down, and there's just a small gap between the gate and the surrounding fencing (I even overlapped some 'soft' mesh to make it look WHOLE but they figured that out, too). Over the past 2 yrs of raising chickens, we've lost about half a dozen to racoons, which is sort of to be expected, I guess.

But none to ravens. I was just wondering about animal totems and what message these raucous ravens have for us, seeing as they return each morning with their loud calling to one another, sending the chickens diving under their coop for safety. They're not likely to get to any of the birds, but their noise is a little unnerving.

you've GOT to be kidding.

Wow. So things have been really going well lately - very drama-free. :) And a couple months ago, I don't know why, but I went on this little bent about everyone in the family getting full health check-ups: eye exams, dental cleanings, a general wellness check-up with the GP (whom the kids haven't had to see hardly at all since birth b/c they're so healthy)... and a couple things came out of it for my daughter. One, we are getting her heart murmur checked up on, so she's going for an ECG soon. The paediatric cardiologist isn't terribly concerned about the murmur and feels she'll outgrow it. (phew) The other thing I wanted to check out was her foot. She was born with a rather stiff club foot. It required full-leg casting as an infant for a couple months, followed by a full-time Dennis Brown splint for the next few months, then wearing it every night until she was 4 yrs of age. We were very strict about her wearing that splint *every* night. So at age 4, she had 30 degrees of flexibility in her foot and was deemed "cured" of her club foot - no further treatment was recommended at that time. And so I *thought* we had it beat, so to speak.

Fast forward 3 yrs, and we'd started noticing her running was... unique. Her left foot would turn slightly in as she ran. Her left calf is noticeably smaller than her right. Her left foot is a full shoe size smaller than the right. And the chiropractor pointed out that her left leg is indeed shorter than her right, and is affecting the alignment of her pelvis and spine (and perhaps we need to think about a heel lift for that left foot). She'd had a little difficulty learning to skip - to double hop on that left leg - but with practice and help from her dance teacher, she'd mastered skipping.

This in a child who is ACTIVE. She dances, skates, jumps on the trampoline, bikes, skips, plays hopscotch, climbs trees, plays soccer, rides a scooter, etc., etc., etc. She's really VERY active. She learned to walk at 10 months of age. Other than skipping, there hasn't been any noticeable (unexpected) delays developmentally in regards to the leg.

The GP sent us back to the paediatric orthopaedic surgeon for a follow-up visit, as we haven't been to see him in 4 yrs. He had her run, skip, and walk for him today, and in bare feet, I immediately saw what was happening: she's not using her left heel. She's walking on the outside of her foot (suppinating). And the club foot is slowly but surely *RELAPSING*.

Sure enough, she's lost those 30 degrees of motion to where now it's in the negative. It needs treatment.

I'm shocked.

Treatment consists of 6 weeks of full-leg (full-time, i.e. non-removable) fibreglass casts (she's SOOOOOO excited that they'll be cool colours that she can pick: pink, purple, red) and see how much range of motion we can recover. Apparently her tendons and muscles are just really stubborn, and it is unusual for a relapse to occur after the treatment she's had already. However, now that it's happened once, it may happen again during adolescence (requiring more casting and possibly at some point, surgery - hopefully she's outgrown the heart murmur before we face the surgery option - I'm not keen on the idea of a general anaesthetic when one has a heart murmur).

The first cast goes on soon - like, just over one week soon. And because she's focused on what colour to pick (and is looking FORWARD to the casts), I'm really trying to hide my dismay at having to go through another round of casts. This needs to be done - no ifs, ands or buts - so *I* mentally need to suck it up. *SHE* is stellar about it all - absolutely no qualms, and she even asked excitedly if she'll get crutches (because she *wants* them?!? who *IS* this kid?!). Despite her apparent excitement, I still think this summer may have its moments where it seems excrutiatingly long.

Still, I'm trying to tell myself it's nothing that can't be fixed. It's not all that serious. I'm spinning a little right now, but it's kinda like when I was pregnant with her and the ultrasound showed the clubfoot and I was first told about it. Just shocked. But once the surprise wore off, I could put it in perspective - it was correctable, and fairly easily (and non-invasively) so. And we are SOOOOOOOOO blessed to have a world-reknowned specialist in JUST this thing living in our city. Truly, SOOOOOO blessed, as he is AMAZINGLY gifted and very respected for his work.

So even though I'm surprised at what came to light today, I'm thankful that I have my past experiences to help me put it in perspective more quickly (and that I don't have the hormones of pregnancy colouring things at the same time, LOL). It's all going to be just fine. Take it from the kid herself - everything's going to be *just fine*.

June

I haven't posted because I've been busy these days... two mornings a week I'm volunteering/working on a local organic farm (mostly weeding, but the other day I was laying out drip irrigation hoses) - in exchange for organic produce! - and another two mornings a week I'm teaching a tai chi class. I'm also trying to fit in my daily exercise: a 45 minute (9 km) row on my Concept2. And then there's parenting, keeping house, helping my son with his cleaning job at the community hall, appointments and errands, gardening and yardwork around here...

I was doing well, watching my nutritional intake, and then one day the kids and I made pizza from scratch for dinner and I decided to have a couple pieces. *big* mistake as my body simply cannot tolerate wheat. But sometimes it takes a while for me to *learn* these lessons (the smell of fresh baked bread does *nothing* for my resolve). So now I'm trying to get back into the groove of being mindful in regards to my food... and it's not always easy.

I'm also organizing a couple homeschooling fieldtrips right now, and that's always a little... complicated, with people backing out at the last minute and trying to fill those spots and so on... I'm *hoping* the four fieldtrips run smoothly! ;)

That's really about it around here... I'm *loving* working on the farm (my kids come along with me, the farmer is my age (early 30s) and female and has kids of her own, and there are other females who also work there, so it's some awesome women-connect time, too), and would happily spend more time there if I could fit it in, but I also want to respect the balance I've created in my life - a little of this, a little of that... so for now, I'll honour that balance and limit myself to two half-days a week. Besides, it leaves me time for my daughter's 'beach parties' on the deck! LOL

PHEW!!!

What a productive day!!! I got up early, rowed 9 kms, was at the farm by 9:30 and worked about 3 hrs there (soooooooo much fun!!! i weeded onions!!). Came home, got the kids lunch, settled in around here and got myself organized for the afternoon... out the door again and made nearly all the raw food deliveries, one child to one class, then across town for the other child to another class... several errands thrown in and voila - you have a *VERY* busy but productive day.

If I had to write my horoscope, I'd be amazed at how punctual and productive I can be at times. Things just flowed today, for whatever reason. But behind it all, there was this nagging lurking in the back of my mind: financial woes. dh's cell phone bill last month was over-the-top crazy and I haven't even mentioned it to him b/c our car servicing that's due is also over-the-top crazy, on top of other bills, etc. Poor guy; he works sooooooooo hard to, as he puts it, keep his family (well, wife, lol) in the manner to which (I've) become accustomed... and it seems like we're behind the 8-ball yet again. Sometimes I just want to live a much, much simpler life, *free of debt*. Completely free. grumble grumble grumble

Okay, well, now that that's out of my system, let's recap my healing nutritional intake for the day:
- 2c kombucha
- 2T vega shake-and-go and a banana, blended
- 750ml smoothie from yesterday
- 2c raw vegan pad thai that a friend gifted me
- 8 raw tamari almonds
- 40 some-odd ounces of water

Approximate caloric intake: ~1500 I think. I burned 510 calories rowing and farming for 2 hrs was also beneficial. :) Overall: great day.

Namaste

Day 7 and goin' strong...

It's been busy around here, with no time for the computer!

Thursday (day 4) I had an AWESOME day - I got to spend 3 hours on a local organic farm where I'll be volunteering twice a week throughout the summer season in exchange for some produce. I am SOOOOOOOO stoked! :D

Nutritionally, on Thursday I nourished myself with:
- 1L of smoothie from the day before
- 2T Vega shake-and-go and a banana blended
- 2 oz homemade tamari almonds (hmmmmm, *not* the best idea in retrospect, even though they were soooooo good, they just *sat* in my tummy feeling heavy)
- 1L smoothie (8c spinach, 2 bananas, 1T spirulina, 2T hemp seeds, 1t acai powder, a handful of soaked gojis, 2T raw agave, 1T maca, 1t acerola cherry powder, 1 1/2T ground flax, 1/4t kelp powder, 4c frozen berry blend)
- 1t Barlean's vegan swirl oil blend
- about 2L of lovely, healing water

I also rowed 8.5 kms on Thursday, burning about 480 calories. As well, I took in a 90 minute tai chi class in the evening. Between working on the farm, rowing, and tai chi, it was a great, active day! Approximate caloric *intake* for Thursday was 1750 calories.

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Friiiiiiiiday was *super* busy and I spent sooooo much time driving. Being busy took it's toll on my food intake; my caloric intake was about 750 for the day.

- 800 mL smoothie from the day before
- 4 thin small slices of watermelon and a couple cherries
- 2c kombucha
- 2T vega and a banana, blended

I didn't row, but did teach a 90 min tai chi class that had me sweating profusely! AWESOME class!

**************************************
Saturday was nice. We spent the afternoon/evening over at family's and had a good time catching up and hangin' out. I also got some Zeolite on this raw food order so have started taking it (3 drops, 3x/day) to assist with detox. I am also back to taking Fo-Ti 3x/day. It was doing *amazing* things for my hair when I was taking it regularly about 4 months back.

Saturday I blessed myself with:
- 2T Vega shake-and-go and a banana, blended
- 1L smoothie (8c salad mix, 2 bananas, 4c berries, handful soaked gojis, 1t acai, 2T hemp, 1T spirulina, 600 ml almond milk, 3T agave, 1T maca, 1/4t kelp and 1t acerola) - salad mix doesn't make for the best smoothie. I think it's the peppery arugula in it
- 2c kombucha
- 4c green salad and 2T dressing (which was a wiser choice than eating the pizza everyone else was having) :P
- about 1L water

Rowed 8.5 kms (slow, though: nearly 42.5 mins, but still burned 465 calories)
Overall daily intake: ~1200 calories

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Sunday we stayed at home and cleaned. Did a massive house clean and got some work done around the yard. busy busy busy. Did a set of tai chi in the morning on the deck, but no rowing today.

I delighted in tasting:
- 1L smoothie from yesterday
- 2T vega and a banana
- a few pieces of red pepper and a couple pea pods
- 1L smoothie (1 head red romaine, 2 bananas, 1T maca, 1t acai, 1t acerola, 2T hemp, 1T spirulina, 5 medjools, 1/4t kelp, handful gojis, 5c frozen berries and 3T agave). I didn't like the romaine base, either. Spinach is best, imo, for a smoothie base.

Approximate caloric intake for the day: 1450.

7 days done and I'm down 5 lbs. more than that, i'm resetting my relationship with food onto a more conscious path. It feels right to be doing this. I realize how out-of-touch my food intake had gotten... I was eating twice as many calories every day, mostly raw but not as diligently raw as I am being now. I'm not denying myself solid food completely (like today I had a couple veggie bites), but I do need to eat consciously and that is something new for me. It's kinda weird to have more time to do other things other than food prep or cleaning up after making a meal when you're blending a smoothie. It frees you up for other things, which is... odd because we don't usually have that time.

Anyhow, overall, the weekend was great and I'm looking forward to continuing this for the time being. :)

Namaste

Day 3 update

Well, I got my rowing in today: 8.5 kms in just over 40 minutes, burning 477 calories. :) Not my fastest row, but it was later in the afternoon (while dinner for the family was cooking). Working out is easiest in the late morning/early afternoon (somewhere between 10 & 2). Any earlier and I'm still half-asleep and too late and it just doesn't feel right. Call me Goldilocks. :P

Today I've gifted myself with:
- multivitamins and calcium supplements
- 2T of berry Vega shake-and-go and a banana and 1/4 of a pineapple blended
- 2T of berry Vega shake-and-go and a banana (I know, a tad repetitive, but I was in a rush to get out the door but didn't want to leave with an empty stomach)
- about 5 12-oz glasses of water
- 2c of kombucha
- 1L of smoothie (this made 2L, which I'm saving a litre/quart for morning: 4c romaine lettuce, 2 bananas, 2T hulled hemp seed, 1T spirulina, 2c frozen berry blend, 1 quart/litre raw almond milk (using 1/2c soaked almonds I make 2L of milk, so 1L is the equivalent, imo, of 1/4c of almonds), 1.5T of ground golden flaxseed, 1tsp acai berry powder, 1 tsp acerola cherry powder, 1/4 tsp kelp flakes, 1T maca powder, 3T raw agave and a handful of soaked goji berries. I've calculated on www.myfitnesspal.com that 2L of smoothie with these ingredients is around 1300 calories, so 1L would be about 650 calories.)

Overall approximate caloric intake for the day: ~1250

Day 3

It's raining this morning - plip plop - after yesterday's beeeeautiful 16C sunshine, which felt so *seasonal*. The rain's not really depressing - it means I don't have to go out and water the garden or hanging baskets by hand and they'll probably get a more thorough watering from the rain than from me. But I do really enjoy watching the sun on the trees throughout the day - in the morning, coming from the East as the first rays touch the tops of the tall tall trees, and slowly, as the sun rises, the sunlight comes down lower and lower until it's all the way on the ground... and then throughout the day, as the sun moves across the sky, how it looks on the leaves of the alder trees, dappled and the leaves turn this brilliant light green, contrasting with the conifer's dark green needles surrounding. Then into the evening, towards sunset, the sunlight coming through the heavily forested west side of our property. I was at the kitchen window the other day watching the sunlight come through the trees in the west as I washed the dishes after dinner. It was beautiful, catching the golden glimpses reflecting off the firs and cedars. *beautiful*

Today is Day 3 of the smoothie-feast. Yesterday went alright... I got my 8.5 kms of rowing in and also taught a 1.5 hr tai chi class (which you might not *think* is very aerobic, but let me tell you, i sweat (sorry, perspire) something wicked during a good tai chi class. LOL So I was pretty happy with how active I was yesterday. For nutrition, I blessed myself with two protein shakes - I had 2T of Vega Shake-and-Go (chocolate) and a banana blended at 8 a.m. (before tai chi) and another 2T of vanilla flavour and another banana at 1:00 (before rowing). Boy, do those vega shakes stave off hunger! They've got ~11g of protein in each serving. Around noon I had 1/2 L of smoothie from Day 1 and throughout the day about 5 12oz glasses of water (or 6?). I also enjoyed 2c of kombucha in the evening, multivitamins and calcium and a few nibblies (a couple small pieces of watermelon and a few snap pea pods) as it was book club night at my house and I was lamenting not getting around to making a smoothie. I figure my caloric intake was around 1000 calories, so rather low. (I sure enjoyed having my friends over for book club, though! We were discussing Vladimir Megre's Anastasia of the Ringing Cedar Series)

Today I'll have time to make 2L of smoothie, which will hopefully keep me going for most of the day (at ~1300 cal/2L). And I'm intending on rowing this morning.

The dog's snoring over on her bed. She's all curled up like she's still in the womb, despite being a big gangly 2 yr old now. I don't know how that position could possibly be comfortable, but it must be. ;)